The New Jersey Symphony Orchestra has announced its 2015-16 season — its last with conductor Jacques Lacombe, who has been at the NJSO podium since 2008. Opening weekend will be Sept. 25-27 with saxophonist Branford Marsalis, and other guests throughout the season will include soprano Jessye Norman, pianist Jean-Yves Thibaudet and violinist Augustin Hadelich.
Here is the complete schedule. For more information and to order tickets, visit NJSymphony.org.
Opening Weekend: Branford Marsalis Joins the NJSO
Sept. 25 and 27 at NJPAC in Newark
Sept. 26 at State Theatre in New Brunswick
Branford Marsalis, saxophone
Ravel: Valses nobles et sentimentales
Williams: “Escapades” for saxophone from Catch Me If You Can
Milhaud: Scaramouche for alto saxophone
Mussorgsky: Pictures at an Exhibition
Pops: Cirque de la Symphonie with the NJSO
Oct. 17 at NJPAC in Newark
Oct. 18 at State Theatre in New Brunswick
Gemma New, conductor
Thibaudet Plays Gershwin
Oct. 22-23 at NJPAC in Newark
Oct. 24 at Count Basie Theatre in Red Bank
Oct. 25 at Mayo Performing Arts Center in Morristown
Jean-Yves Thibaudet, piano
Bernstein: Candide Overture
Gershwin: Concerto in F
Bernstein: Symphonic Dances from West Side Story
Gershwin (arr. R. R. Bennett): Porgy & Bess: A Symphonic Picture
Rachmaninoff’s Second Symphony
Oct. 29 at BergenPAC in Englewood
Oct. 30 at Richardson Auditorium in Princeton
Oct. 31 at NJPAC in Newark
Nov. 1 at State Theatre in New Brunswick
Christoph König, conductor
Jonathan Biss, piano
Beethoven: Piano Concerto No. 2
Rachmaninoff: Symphony No. 2
Beethoven’s Ninth
Nov. 5-6 and 8 at NJPAC in Newark
Nov. 7 at State Theatre in New Brunswick
Barbara Shirvis, soprano
Elizabeth Bishop, mezzo-soprano
Jonathan Boyd, tenor
Stephen Powell, baritone
Wesminster Symphonic Choir
Higdon: blue cathedral
Beethoven: Symphony No. 9
Vivaldi’s Four Seasons
Nov. 27 at ;Richardson Auditorium in Princeton
Nov. 28 at NJPAC in Newark
Nov. 29 at State Theatre in New Brunswick
Eric Wyrick, leader and violin soloist
Boccherini: Symphony No. 6, “La casa del diavolo” 3
Respighi: Ancient Airs and Dances, Suite No. 1
vivaldi: The Four Seasons
Family: Classical Favorites in the Forecast
Nov. 28 at NJPAC in Newark
Jeffrey Grogan, conductor
Gershwin, Beethoven, Copland and others
Pops: Home Alone: The Movie
Dec. 5 at NJPAC in Newark
Dec. 6 at State Theatre in New Brunswick
Constantine Kitsopoulos, conductor
New Jersey Youth Chorus
Handel’s Messiah
Dec. 18 at Richardson Auditorium in Princeton
Dec. 20 at NJPAC in Newark
Celena Shafer, soprano
Adriana Zabala, mezzo-soprano
William Burden, tenor
Dashon Burton, bass-baritone
Montclair State University Singers
New Jersey Symphony Chamber Orchestra
Beethoven and Danielpour
Jan. 14 at BergenPAC in Englewood
Jan. 16 at Count Basie Theatre in Red Bank
Jan. 17 at NJPAC in Newark
Lisa Pegher, percussion
Beethoven: Symphony No. 1
Danielpour: Percussion Concerto, “The Wounded Healer” (World Premiere)
Beethoven: Symphony No. 4
Winter Festival: Symphonie Fantastique
Jan. 22 at NJPAC in Newark
Jan. 23 at State Theatre in New Brunswick
Jan. 24 at Mayo Performing Arts Center in Morristown
Bernard Uzan, narrator
Symphonic Chorus of Manhattan School of Music
Berlioz: Symphonie fantastique
Berlioz: Lélio
Winter Festival: Midsummer Night Dream
Jan. 29 at Richardson Auditorium in Princeton
Jan. 20 at NJPAC in Newark
Jan. 31 at State Theatre in New Brunswick
Actors from The Shakespeare Theatre of New Jersey
Women of the Montclair State University Chorale
Mendelssohn: A Midsummer Night’s Dream
Pops: Valentine’s Day with Megan Hilty and the NJSO
Feb. 12 at Count Basie Theatre in Red Bank
Feb. 13 at NJPAC in Newark
Feb. 14 at State Theatre in New Brunswick
Megan Hilty, vocalist
Todd Ellison, conductor
Family: Star Power
Feb. 13 at NJPAC in Newark
Gemma New, conductor
NJSO Academy Orchestra
Music by Williams, Beethoven, Mozart and Tchaikovsky.
Vistas & Landscapes: Copland and Dvorák
Feb. 25 at BergenPAC in Englewood
Feb. 27-28 at NJPAC in Newark
Miguel Harth-Bedoya, conductor
Stephen Fang, cello
Dvorák: Silent Woods
Popper: Hungarian Rhapsody
Copland: Appalachian Spring
Dvorák: Symphony No. 9, “From the New World”
All-Mozart
March 11 at Richardson Auditorium in Princeton
March 12 at Count Basie Theatre in Red Bank
March 13 at Mayo Performing Arts Center in Morristown
Perry So, conductor
Eric Lu, piano
Mozart: Overture and Ballet Music from Idomeneo
Mozart: Piano Concerto No. 23
Mozart: Symphony No. 41, “Jupiter”
Romantic Masterworks From Schumann & Brahms
March 17 and 20 at NJPAC in Newark
March 19 at State Theatre in New Brunswick
Christian Arming, conductor
Stephen Hough, piano
Wagner: Prelude to Act III from Tristan and Isolde
Schumann: Piano Concerto
Brahms: Symphony No. 2
Zhang Conducts Tchaikovsky
April 7-8 at NJPAC in Newark
April 9 at Count Basie Theatre in Red Bank
April 10 at Mayo Performing Arts Center in Morristown
Xian Zhang, conductor
Jennifer Frautschi, violin
Tchaikovsky: Marche Slave
Barber: Violin Concerto
Tchaikovsky: Symphony No. 4
Pops: Music of the ‘Mad Men’ Era
April 15 at Count Basie Theatre in Red Bank
April 16 at NJPAC in Newark
April 17 at State Theatre in New Brunswick
Cheyenne Jackson, vocalist
Thomas Wilkins, conductor
Hadelich Plays Tchaikovsky
May 12 and 14 at NJPAC in Newark
May 13 at Richardson Auditorium in Princeton
May 15 at State Theatre in New Brunswick
Jérémie Rhorer, conductor
Augustin Hadelich, violin
Mendelssohn: The Hebrides Overture
Tchaikovsky: Violin Concerto
Brahms: Serenade No. 1
Family: Athletes of the Orchestra
May 21 at NJPAC in Newark
Jeffrey Grogan, conductor
“Take Me Out to the Ballgame,” Olympic fanfares and classics from Mozart and Rimsky-Korsakov
Jessye Norman with the NJSO
May 21 at NJPAC in Newark
Jessye Norman, soprano
Pops: Bond and Beyond
June 4 at NJPAC in Newark
June 5 at State Theatre in New Brunswick
Michael Krajewski, conductor
Debbie Gravitte, vocalist
Lacombe Conducts Rachmaninoff & Ravel
June 9 at BergenPAC in Englewood
June 11 at Count Basie Theatre in Red Bank
June 12 at NJPAC in Newark
Joyce Yang, piano
Rogerson: Night and the City
Rachmaninoff: Piano Concerto No. 3
Ravel: La Valse
Ravel: Daphnis and Chloé Suite No. 2
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